208. The Regulation on Political Parties of 2005 has been amended 8 times, the last being on January 18, 2009. Under this regulation it is difficult to hold political parties accountable and regulate their functioning and due to several legal challenges, legislation on Political Parties is much needed. Election Commission does not possess much power to take action even if a party is not politically active. The Elections Commission is the mandate holder for distribution of State allocated funds for the political parties and they are mandated to oversee the functioning of political parties. However, when Elections Commission withheld funds for some inactive Political Parties, it was challenged at the court and they were ordered to release the budgetary allocations for all of the parties. 210. The State should take necessary and appropriate measures to ensure the right to vote of vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, the elderly and those who require assistance in voting. The State should enact a law on political parties and revise the existing Political Party Regulation. Chapter: Article 25, Right to Vote and to Run for Public Office 209. Currently Maldives has 15 Political Parties registered at the Elections Commission. Below is the list of Political Parties with the number of members in the party as of May 6, 2012. 80